It is in the times of silence that our faith is built and when we learn to walk by faith and not by sight—to trust when we don’t see God moving—to trust that no matter what God is real, God has a plan, God is in control and God loves us. He has a different way of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined into His ways. It was said of Jesus “He shall not fail nor be discouraged,” because He never worked from His own individual standpoint but always from the standpoint of His Father, and we have to learn to do the same. It takes a long time to get there, but we must keep at it. We must not give in because the pain is bad. We must not fall prey to depression and fear but to trust that Jesus is with us and will never fail us. Silence and darkness precedes a great revelation of God’s glory, new vision and purpose.
As we wait upon the Lord to answer our prayer—to open a door—to give clear direction, we must consider two things. (1) Is it possible there is something blocking us from hearing Him—a sin, a wrong attitude, or a misunderstanding on how to hear from God? Psalm 139: 21-24 says: “Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” We don’t need to be afraid to know the truth, because it will set us free. In our quiet time with God, we need to ask Him to examine our heart, just like David did in this Psalm. Whatever God shows us will be for our benefit and will help us continually draw closer to Him. A healthy, close relationship with God requires asking Him to reveal truth to us and a willingness to change when He asks us to. (2) Is God’s silence a sign that He is bringing us into a marvelous understanding of Himself as He prepares us for His chosen path for us? If God has given us a silence, we need to praise Him that He is bringing us into the great run of His purposes. The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. We are to be still in the sense that we take our hands off our situation and allow the Father to work through our circumstance, but we are also to be active in growing spiritually. As we discover God’s will, we need to actively claim His promises in His Word and continue obeying Him step-by-step. Thankfully, because the Sovereign God of the universe has never faltered in fulfilling His word, we are absolutely assured He will not fail us now. Our active resolve to trust Him is part of the process that leads to blessing.
Both of these circumstances is designed to grow us in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us. So we are to “Cease striving and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) The pressure to move forward may be overwhelming. But if God has not spoken to you, stay where you are. We are never to act in haste. We may feel tempted to reason everything out in our mind and figure out all the unknowns—as if it depends on us to engineer a solution. The Lord does not need our assistance. Instead, we must “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5-6) Satan wants us to wring our hands in panic and just “do something” even if it is wrong! Nothing touches the life of one of God’s born-again children unless He allows it for our good and His glory. He realizes the pressure we feel and how important all of this is to us. But as long as we’re trying to orchestrate a solution, we will miss what He is doing. We must lay it out before the Lord and trust Him for with God all things are possible. Not only will He direct our path, but He will do so in ways beyond what we can imagine! So we need to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking releasing everything into God’s hands. God opens doors that no man can shut and closes doors that no man can open. God, shut out every voice but Yours and confuse any plan that does not line up with Yours! God’s silences are His answers!